You need a combination of hard work and patience to be a speech therapist, as well as for traveling the road to achieve this. To be a speech therapist, also called a speech-language pathologist, you need at least a master’s degree. Your undergraduate degree can be in any subject, but you will need to fulfill certain course requirements before you can enter into an accredited master’s degree program.

Accredited Master's Programs

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2010 the Council on Academic Accreditation had licensed 253 speech-language master’s degree programs throughout the United States. While individual coursework varies by institution, common areas of study include age-specific disorders, swallowing difficulties and alternative communication methods. You will also have clinical experience as part of your master’s degree program.

State Licensing

Each state has its own licensing requirements. In California, for example, upon completion of your master’s program and 300 hours of clinical experience, you must complete 36 full-time weeks or 72 part-time weeks practicing while being supervised by a licensed pathologist. Then you need to pass the state-required examination. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association can provide you with a summary of each state’s requirements, but get the most up-to-date information from your state’s medical or other governing board.

National Certification

You have the option of being nationally certified by the American Speech-Language Association. If successful, you will hold a CCC, or Certificate of Clinical Competence, demonstrating that you went beyond your state’s licensing requirements and are considered an expert in your field. As a speech-language pathologist, completing this step will designate you as a CCC-SLP.

Your Career

As a speech therapist, you will work with patients who have speech issues that may have been present since birth or that are the result of an illness or injury. You may provide the diagnosis, as well as prevention and treatment. Cooperative treatment with another professional, such as a psychologist, is common. Schools employ the largest number of speech therapists in the United States, followed by private clinics and hospitals. Nursing homes and long-term care facilities are other employment options. The 2010 median annual income of speech-language pathologists was $66,920, and it is a field projected to grow faster than average.